Dysfunctional Family
by idealist stuck in reality
Summary: Part of the "Dear Agony" Series but they can stand on their own. Yao, Kaoru, Mei, and Yong Soo are all adopted. But when their parents are killed in a house fire, Yao becomes their guardian. It's been 2 years since then and they are starting to fall apart. Mistakes are made and secrets are revealed.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Yao! We have to leave early today you can close up for us right!", called out Romulus.

"Yeah sure. I don't mind." Yao said with a smile.

This was typical at Hetalia World Cafe. It's a cute little bakery featuring desserts from around the world. It's owned by Romulus, a cheerful Italian man with coffee colored hair, and his friend Alaric, a tall, blonde German with a stoic cafe was the hangout of Yao and his friends, some who also worked there. Unlike most times, the cafe was quiet and empty. "I'll close up early, no one's here anyway." Yao quickly counted the money in the cash register before grabbing $200 and stuffing it in his pocket.

He felt a small twinge of guilt but he needed the money. How else was he supposed to support his three other siblings? It was times like this that he wished their parents were still here. He sighed and walked into his apartment that was shared with his siblings and went the kitchen. It was just like any other night. Kaoru and Yong Soo will be watching T.V. and arguing over the Korean drama or the new Kung Fu movie. Mei will lock herself in her room and sulk about being the only girl in the apartment. And Yao will eat a cold dinner by himself and wonder when was the last time his family was truly happy.


	2. Chapter 2

Mei looked over to her boyfriend Alfred. Well, more like stared at him. Then, she felt a flick on her forehead.

"Ow. Elizaveta, what was that for?", Mei whined.

"You were staring at him again.", sang Elizaveta.

"What's wrong with looking at my boyfriend?"

"Nothing. But you were ogling him, not just looking."

"I was not!"

"You were practically undressing him with your eyes. I bet the whole class noticed."

Mei blushed and hid her face. "Shut up. I hate you." Elizaveta giggled.

"Mei, Elizaveta, care to explain what's so funny?" called the teacher.

-

Meanwhile...

"Yo Alfred, does anyone know yet?" Gilbert whispered.

"Know what?"

"That you're just using Mei for sex."

"Oh. That. Nope."

"I really think this is a bad idea. When Eli finds out, she'll bash your head in with her skillet, bring you back to life, and bash your head in again. Listen to my awesome advice and end it soon."

"She won't do that cause I'm the hero. No one can hurt me. But fine. I was planning on ending it tonight at the party anyways."

-

Later that afternoon

"Hey! Mei!"

"Alfred!" Mei hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Wait for me in the garden. I'll get us a drink."

Mei sat on a bench and started to daydream. Is he the one? He's so cute. I wonder if-

Her thoughts were interrupted as Alfred passed her a cup of yelllowish liquid that smelled a bit like alcohol.

"Isn't this beer? Aren't we underaged or something?"

"Don't worry about it. It's one drink, it can't kill you."

Mei took a small sip. It was disgusting and bitter but she drank it anyways. After a few minutes she started to get dizzy.

"Alfred, I'm starting to get dizzy."

"Come on I'll bring you inside."

Mei felt strong arms lifting her up. She walked with him a couple of steps before she realized he was taking her away from the house and toward the garage.

"Alfred what are you-" She passed out before she finished.

The next morning, she woke up in her bedroom with a headache and her body felt sore. She lifted the blankets and saw some blood around her legs. Her heart started racing and she went white. "Oh my god what happened?" A part of her knew but the the other half refused to accept it. Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Alfred. "Hey Mei. That was an awesome party last night right? Anyways, a lot of things came up and it's complicated. We can't go out anymore. I'm breaking up with you. Bye!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Kaoru waited at the corner. It was a hot night and he wanted nothing more than to curl up in his bed and sleep. A tall man with red hair walked up to him. Kaoru passed him a bag of heroin in exchange for $30. An hour later, a Hispanic teen went to him for weed. And later, a girl for crack, a group of workers for LSD, another teen for ecstasy, and so on. He had done this for nearly a year now. No one wanted to hire him but he wanted to help Yao and the rest of his family. Even if it meant doing something illegal. He was 15 when he started and he was scared of what he was doing. Now he was older and used to it. As a coverup, He told his family he did odd jobs to earn money. Tonight, he was supposed to be babysitting a little girl. Luckily, they didn't ask any questions. Lars, another drug dealer and friends with Kaoru and his family came and stood next to him.

"It's been a while Kaoru. How have things been."

"Made about $500 tonight."

"I meant your family."

"Oh. They're pretty much the same I guess. I think Mei has a boyfriend though. She keeps locking herself in her room and playing love songs."

"Well, that's better than what Bella does. She leaves the house whenever possible and some nights she doesn't came back."

"You don't know where she goes? I thought you two were close"

"She suddenly stopped talking me."

"...It must be tough."

Lars let out a tired sigh. "It's all our parent's fault. They've been neglecting us since forever and they've been fighting more. My mother threatened divorce multiple times. I think that's when Bella became distant. She always thought they would make up one day and we could actually be a family."

"Does she know. About you dealing and doing drugs?"

"Nope. Does your family know?"

"Nope."

"You were only 15 when you started."

"I don't even care anymore. I'm just trying to survive because I'm not dead yet."


	4. Chapter 4

Yong Soo spent a quiet night at home playing video games. "Damn it. Die! Die! Die!"

"Game Over." the robotic voice said to him. Yong Soo threw down the controller in frustration. "Ughh… this was not invented in Korea." " I wonder if Yao would play with me. He's 20 but acts like he's 6 or 60. I swear maybe he's bipolar. He could be gushing over hello kitty or be doing tai chi and give them a lesson on inner chi or whatever." thinking this, Yong Soo walked to his brother's room and was about to knock when Yao's phone rang. "Actually, eavesdropping on him would be more interesting."

"Oh, hello Kiku. How's your family." (Kiku was their cousin.)

"Having fighting parents can be tough. If you want help, you could always come to me. Or maybe Lars and Bella. They're in a similar situation."

"Oh. Well my family's the same I guess. Right now Mei's at some party and Kaoru got another job. Yong Soo's home. Do you want to talk to him?"

"You wanted to ask me what I think of him? Okay well he's a good kid I guess but he gets annoying sometimes. He's really loud and doesn't take anything seriously. He mostly plays video games all day and he can get really frustrating. He spends money on useless things and I want him to help out by getting a job or something. We're really tight on budget but he won't listen to me."

Yong Soo got up and went to his room. "So Yao thinks that too huh." When their parents were still alive, they said the same thing but they were more harsh about it. In reality, Yong Soo acts this way because he thinks that if he acts happy, everyone else will too. His siblings are distant and they never spend time with each other anymore. He knows they still care but their house seems so cold and lonely now. He sighed and fell asleep.

"You are so useless why can't you be more like your siblings."

"God dammit Yong Soo, I WILL bring back to the orphanage."

"Yong Soo be quiet. Can't you more considerate?"

"Stop being so lazy! Why did we even adopt you!?"

Yong Soo woke up gasping for air. He was covered in cold sweat and was shaking slightly._ "It's been a while since I've quit but it's so tempting to start again. Just a little bit. Just this one time."_ Yong Soo snuck out of his and Kaoru's room and into the bathroom. He took out a razor blade and ran it over his lower arm. "I'm just a burden. I'm annoying. Everyone hates me. I don't deserve this life." As these thoughts ran through his head his hand was moving on their own until it was covered in red. Yong Soo gasped and dropped the blade. "Oh shit. I overdid it." He sighed and cleaned the wounds. " No one knew I used to cut and they're not gonna find out now." When he finished he stepped out and checked on his siblings. First was Mei. "I didn't even notice she came back from the party. I hope she had fun. That way at least one of us isn't always miserable." He shut the door and went to the couch. There were only 2 bedrooms so he and Kaoru got one and Mei the other. Yao ended up on the couch. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how selfish I was being. I'll try harder I promise." He walked back to his own room and looked over to Kaoru. "I never once seen him cry or complain. But then again I've never seen him smile ever since then."


	5. Chapter 5

It was a Sunday so Yao didn't have work. He got up early and made breakfast for everyone. It was one of those rare days when everyone was home and wanted he wanted to enjoy that. He left the kitchen to wake everyone else. He was about to knock on Mei's door when he heard sobbing. Forget manners, he threw the door open. "Mei! What's wrong?!" She was curled up in a ball and buried her head in her knees.

"Yao! Mei! What happened?! We heard screaming." Kaoru and Yong Soo burst in.

"Mei talk to us."

"I'm sorry. I should've told you. I'm scared. Yao, Kaoru, Yong Soo. What should I do?!" Mei said between sobs.

"Mei calm down and explain yourself!" Yao screamed from panic.

"Don't yell at her. Let her calm down first." Kaoru said.

"Mei we'll be in the kitchen. We'll give you a few minutes to yourself. Then you can explain to us what happened okay?" Yong Soo said cheerfully.

Mei weakly nodded her head.

In the kitchen, Yao was pacing back and forth. Kaoru was as calm as ever but his eyes were worried. Yong Soo nervously picked his cuts and pulled his bandages. Mei slowly walked in and dropped onto a seat. She looked down at her feet. After a few minutes, she slowly lifted her head.

"Just let me talk okay. Don't say anything just listen."

She breathed in.

" I was dating Alfred for a week or so."

She swallowed.

"Last night, at the party, he gave me some beer. I know I shouldn't drink yet but I did. I- I think he put roofies in it. I was feeling dizzy and he said he would bring me inside."

Her breathing quickened.

"But he- he brought me toward the garage. And that's all I remember."

A tear slid down her cheek.

"This morning- this morning, there was blood."

She was crying now.

"And he texted. He broke up with me. After- after raping me."

She couldn't hold it in. She broke down and buried her face in her palms. Hearing and saying it out loud was harder than she thought.

Yao was furious. His breathing was erratic and his hands were formed into fists. His nails painfully dug into his skin and drew blood but it didn't matter to him.

Yong Soo was shocked but reacted before the rest he wrapped his arms around Mei's shoulders but said nothing.

Kaoru started shaking and grabbed at his hair and even cried.

Mei, thinking it as because of her situation, tried to make a joke.

" Yao's mad, Yong Soo's quiet, and Kaoru showed emotion. It must be the end of the world." She laughed weakly. No one else did.

" I'm sorry I kept Alfred a secret."

"No! Oh god. This is my fault." Kaoru said

"What are talking about?" Mei asked. "You had nothing to do with it."

"Mei, you're not the only one with a secret." Kaoru whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

"Kaoru you're scaring me now." Yao was now surprised and confused rather than angry.

"Just let me explain. After mom and dad died and you started taking care of us, I wanted to help, I-I sold drugs."

He started breathing quicker.

"A few days ago, Alfred, bought roofies from me."

He looked at Mei.

"I am so sorry. I had no idea."

"I- it's not your fault. I was stupid and naive. Besides you didn't know." Was what Mei said. But she couldn't help feeling betrayed and hurt.

"Kaoru. You didn't have to sell drugs to help us." Yao said slowly.

"Did you- did you do any drugs?"

"No."

"When were going to tell us?"

"Kaoru."

"I wasn't."

Yao felt like throwing up. He was trying so hard to protect them. Look what happened.

"I'm sorry. I should've taken better care of you guys."

"Yao you were 18 when you started." Mei said.

He let out a tired sigh.

"Kaoru, where did you get drugs?"

"Someone else. I bought it from them and sold it at a higher price." This someone was Lars but he didn't want to get him in trouble.

"And who is this "someone"?" Yao was getting irritated.

"I don't know. He leaves the drugs someplace and I leave my money there. He never showed up in person."

"I guess I could stop, but finding a real job is hard." he continued.

"What about Mei?" Yong Soo finally spoke up.

"I'll kill Alfred for you." Yao said immediately. It sounded like a joke coming from him but there was a murderous aura.

They ignored him.

"I'll go to the store and buy a pregnancy test or something." Yong Soo got up and started walking toward the door.

"Yong Soo? Are you alright? You seem a little off." Kaoru said.

Yong Soo stopped " I'm just a little surprised some fresh air would be good for me." He answered vaguely and quickly left.


	7. Chapter 7

A little while later, Yong Soo dropped a plastic bag on the table and went to his room. Mei hesitantly grabbed the bag and got up, leaving Kaoru and Yao.

"Kaoru, is something going on with Yong Soo? He's really quiet." Yao was worried that he was also keeping a secret.

"It's bugging me too but he hasn't said anything to me." Kaoru replied

"I feel like a failure." Yao sighed.

"You were 18, Yao."

"And you were 15 and dealing drugs."

"..."

"..."

Mei walked in and sat down. "I'm not pregnant." She said, slightly relieved. Yao and Kaoru let out a breath.

"That's good."

"I'll get Yong Soo." Kaoru offered. Just then Yong Soo walked in.

"I heard." he said with a smile. But he was distracted.

"Yong Soo, what's bothering you?" Mei asked.

"Why does everyone keep asking that? I'm fine." he spit out the word fine like it was venom.

Yao let out another sigh, he knew how stubborn Yong Soo could be. He got up and came back with breakfast, although no one had an appetite this morning. The four siblings poked and prodded their food in awkward silence.

Yong Soo cleared his throat. "I guess since we were having a little discussion on secrets and stuff, I have a confession."

All three siblings were surprised, he was being uncharacteristically serious. A few moments passed and nothing happened. Then Yong Soo lifted his arms and rolled up his sleeves. Scars, old and new, crisscrossed and overlapped each other.

Mei gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Yao grabbed the edge the table and was visibly shaken. Kaoru's eyes widened but he did nothing else. Yong Soo looked down at his feet and refused to look up._ "I can't do this. This is so horrifying, I feel embarrassed. What would they think? They're not saying anything. Am I pathetic?" _

"Guys, say something." Yong Soo's voice was shaking.

"Wh-why?" Mei finally asked.

_"Of all things to say…"_

"I felt useless and-" he started crying.

_"I couldn't take it."_

"How long?" asked Yao. He sounded only slightly surprised but his heart was beating much too quickly to be healthy and he couldn't think.

_"Did he hear me? Is it my fault?"_

"I started when I was 14, when our parents were still alive. I couldn't take it, when they called me lazy and- and useless. After they died, I stopped, I wanted to be stronger."

His voice was shaking and his eyes were wet.

"Why are there fresh cuts?" Kaoru asked calmly.

"Last night.."

Yao couldn't breathe.

"I overheard something.."

Yao was now shaking and gasping. He grabbed at his hair and leaned on the table.

"And then I had a dream… mom and dad were yelling at me again. I snapped.

"I am so sorry, I didn't mean it. I was tired and frustrated. I- I was-" Yao sputtered.

"You were right." Yong Soo quietly said.

"No.. no I wasn't. I was wrong and-"

"It's fine."

"No it isn't."

Yong Soo gritted his teeth to try to stop the tears. He started shaking and gasping. The tears spilled. No one knew what to do.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day was Monday. Mei, Yong Soo, and Kaoru walked up the steps to school. They sat through classes and walked the halls without thinking. They were listless and and zoned out.

At lunch, Elizaveta ran up to Mei.

"Gilbert told me. Oh my god Mei I am so sorry, I-"

"Who else knows?"

"Just us… Does your family know?"

"Yeah."

She started crying, Yesterday's surprises came back to her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Elizaveta started crying and hugged Mei.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault."

"I feel horrible. About what happened. Are you going to report him or anything? How did your family react?"

"Eli , slow down, a lot happened. Not just to me."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not going to turn him in. What's done is done."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, I don't have enough evidence and we can't afford to go to court or anything."

"Fine. Then how about I beat him up? Will that make you feel better?"

Mei laughed for the first time since the party.

"No but… come with me, I'm want to talk to him."

"Kaoru, Yong Soo, come with me."

"Where." they said at the same time.

"I'm going to confront him."

They immediately got up. The four friends found Alfred sitting with his friends and laughing. It pissed them off.

"Hey jerk, we need to speak to you." Yong Soo said while poking his back with his foot, not too gently either.

Alfred opened his mouth and closed it when he realized who it was. He quietly got up and left. They walked to the other side of the school.

"So Mei, did you get the text? Sorry, you see what happened was-"

Slap.

"How dare you."

She shook from anger. She thought she could handle it but the way he talked so carelessly like nothing happened, made her lose control.

"Mei, I said sorry, what else do you want."

Slap.

"How could you? I really thought you cared. Am I really so insignificant?"

Eli, Kaoru, and Yong Soo stood and watched.

"You think you could just play with my feelings, rape me, and just dump me like trash?"

A flash of guilt crossed his face.

"I-"

"Shut up."

She walked away. Her friends looked at Alfred and turned to follow Mei. They found her at the gates.

"I'm sorry. I thought I would be able to handle it."

She was crying again. Eli held her and leaned Mei's head onto her shoulder.

"Eli, I'm tired of crying."

"It'll get better, I promise."


	9. Chapter 9

Yao was about to go to work when his phone rang. He was running late and put it on speaker so he could multi-task.

"Hello?"

"Hey Yao, it's Romulus and Alaric."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah, you see, we set up cameras a while ago and forgot to tell you."

Yao's eyes widened.

"We saw you taking money. We're going to have to fire you."

"No. No. I need this job." he said desperately.

"I'm sorry Yao. We understand your family situation but we can't have you working here after what happened."

"What if-"

He hung up. Yao fell on his knees and started crying. _"What did I do to deserve this? I'm trying my hardest to protect them. Am I a failure?"_

"Yao is this true?" Kaoru walked in. The principal sent them home after Mei broke down.

Yao didn't answer.

The four of them sat around the table in silence. Yao picked at his finger and chewed his lip. Mei zoned out and played with the ends her hair. Kaoru was chewing his nails and was wondering what to do. Yong Soo impatiently shook his leg and tapped his fingers. He was not the kind of person who enjoyed quiet.

"It's true."

"I've been taking money from Romulus and Alaric without them knowing."

"..."

"There was no way I could support all four of us. "

"I guess you weren't going to tell us." Kaoru said.

He shook his head.

"Yao, you know that what you did is illegal right." Mei quietly spoke up.

"Yeah."

"They could turn you in." Yong Soo started to panic.

"They wouldn't do that."

"You don't know that." Kaoru said calmly.

"Yes I do."

"I- I guess we were all keeping secrets." Yong Soo commented.

"To try to protect each other." Mei added.

"Look where that got us." Yao said bitterly.

"You were raped, Yong Soo has suicidal tendencies, Kaoru got involved in crime, and I lost my job!" he continued.

Mei and Yong Soo flinched. But Kaoru got mad.

"You think we wanted that to happen!? You aren't completely innocent either! Don't yell at us if you're at fault too!" Kaoru retorted.

"Shut up!" Mei yelled.

"Why do we have to fight now?"

"There's never a good time to fight." Yao said despondently before he got up.

He roughly opened and slammed the door. No one said or did anything.

Yao breathed in deeply before stepping into Hetalia World Cafe.

"Romulus, Alaric, I want to talk to you."

The three men walked outside.

"I want my job back." Yao said bluntly.

Romulus sighed.

"Yao, we understand that you had to raise a family, but-"

"Yao, you were our friend. You weren't just stealing from us, you were betraying us. We won't turn you in but we are not rehiring you either. I'm sorry but you'll have to find another job." Alaric spoke up.

"But-"

"No."

"Please, you don't understand-"

"No."

Yao sighed and looked at feet. The looks on their faces were unwavering. They were serious about this.

"I understand. I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone now." Yao said sadly and walked away.

"Alaric, we did the right thing, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we did."

"Then why did it feel so wrong?"


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey, Lars."

The tall man grunted response.

"I have to stop."

"Your family found out?"

"Yeah." he sighed.

"How did they take it?"

"They were disappointed."

"What would you do? If your family found out?"

He let out a long drag from his cigarette. "Well, my parents would yell at me and say something like 'we raised you to be better' or 'you're a failure.'"

"And Bella?"

He sighed. "I don't know anymore."

"..."

"Lars, I changed my mind."

"So quickly? Why?"

"Yao lost his job."

"Oh. How will you keep this from them?"

"I got a job at a daycare. I'm working 3 hours after school but I'm telling Yao I'm working 5. On Saturday, I'm working 7 hours but I'll tell them 10. For those extra hours, I'll deal drugs. I don't want to do it for long though. I really don't want them to find out again. I'm just doing this until Yao finds a job."

"Why don't you just keep the job and forget about the drugs."

"Lars, you know as well as I do that selling drugs makes a lot more money."

"Unfortunately, I do."


	11. Chapter 11

Yong Soo walked from building to building. He didn't care what the job was, he just needed a job.

"Hey are you hiring?" he asked a store manager.

"No, but I think that hair salon just got rid of someone. Check there."

"I heard you were looking for a new employee, is it still open?"

"Oh. sorry, we just hired someone new yesterday."

"Are you hiring?"

"No. Sorry."

"I'm looking for a job. Is there anything I can do?"

"Nope. Sorry."

"Hey, are you hiring?"

"Well, no but I guess, we could use some more help."

"Thank you!"

"We'll pay $7.25 an hour. You'll be stocking shelves or at the cash register. What hours can you work?"

"I can work after school and during vacations."

"Then, 3 hours after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Eight hours on Saturday and you get Sunday off."

"Can I work more? I have a complicated family situation."

"Well by law I can only let you work 18 hours on a school week. So far you have 17. You could come in on Sunday, but only for an hour."

"Yes! Thank you sir!"

"Hey! I found a job! At a video game store!" Yong Soo proclaimed loudly to his family.

"That's great!" Yao exclaimed.

"I'm still looking for one, though." he continued.

"I found a job too. At a daycare center. I'm working after school for 5 hours every other day and 10 hours on Saturday. Sunday's off. I'm getting paid $10 an hour." Kaoru said.

"What!? I'm only working 3 hours every other day, 8 hours on Saturday, 1 on Sunday and only $7.25 an hour. Why!"

"Cause I'm older so I can work longer." Kaoru said while flipping through a magazine.

"Only by a year." Yong Soo pouted.

Mei giggled. Yao smiled. Were things finally starting to change?


	12. Chapter 12

When Mei was finally ready to go back to school, she did not expect what was going to happen. She walked through the doors with her brothers and everyone looked at her, sniggered, and turned away.

"Look who finally showed her face."

"She's so stupid."

"I heard Alfred dumped her right after they had sex."

"Whore."

"Skank."

"I saw her crying a few days ago. Loser. What was she expecting?"

Mei gripped her books tightly to her chest. She felt like was suffocating and hot tears threatened to spill.

"Look she's crying again."

"Again? Honestly, it was funny at first but now it's annoying."

"Crybaby."

"Gosh, she's so sensitive."

"Hey! What the fuck is wrong with you people!" Yong Soo yelled.

"You think this is funny!?" he continued.

"A 15 year old girl being raped is some kind of entertainment for you!? You sick fucks!"

"Yong Soo! Stop!" Kaoru said. His siblings knew he could get really violent when he was angry.

He was holding Mei in a protective embrace. Yong Soo was panting and glaring at everyone. Until a jock stepped in front of them.

"You think you're so tough, standing up for your sister? The whore? She was probably asking for it anyways. You think this makes you strong? Did you think you could hide the fact that you cut? It was so obvious. You and your siblings are just a bunch of outcasts, the misfits. Why are you doing this anyways? For attention? Pity? Did you really-"

That was it. Yong Soo punched his face so hard that he went staggering back a few feet.

"How dare you. How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!"

Yong Soo threw another punch.

He fell.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" the whole school was cheering.

"You think this is funny!? Is everything a joke to you!?" Yong Soo called out.

Everyone went quiet.

"What the fuck is wrong with everyone?" his voice was raspy and he sounded lost. He turned and faced his siblings. Mei stopped crying and was looking at him. Kaoru was as calm as ever. But neither knew what to do.

"Lets go." Kaoru finally said. he three siblings walked away from the crowd like nothing happened.

The next day, the three of them walked up the same steps and through the same doors, expecting to be jeered at again. Instead, everyone ignored them and went quiet. A few apologized.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know Alfred did that to you."

"Uhh..it's alright I guess."

"Hey, um, about yesterday, no one really knew the details ya know?"

"Whatever, it's over anyways."

"Hey, I feel bad about yesterday. I didn't know."

"It's fine."

Their answers were short and cold. But at least everyone stopped degrading them.

"Hey. How are you holding up?" Elizaveta asked.

"I just want everyone to shut up about it." Mei replied.

"I want to put this behind me, you know?" she continued.

"It'll blow over soon. These things don't actually last that long."

"Yeah. But it still happened. Anyone can come back to taunt me about it. And these things, you never really forget about them."

"That's true but you can't let it bother you every second of the day."

"It's hard."

"I know. So cry all you want now. Let it all out. Then, get up and dry off the tears. Move on and say "I got over it." I can't bear to see you like this. I'm sure brothers can't either."

"Thanks Eli. I think I got over the crying part. But I need help getting up."

"We're here for you. I promise."


	13. Chapter 13

A week later.

Yao dropped onto the couch, exhausted. He let out a long tired sigh. He had finally found a job as a chef in a hotel. It was in the city so it was a bit far but the pay was surprisingly good- $30 an hour.

"Hey Yao! Mei said cheerfully.

"I guessed you finally found a job?" asked Kaoru.

"Yep. Hotel chef, 12 hours on Tuesday to Friday and 15 on Saturday. Thirty bucks an hour."

"Maybe I should get a job too. I feel bad that everyone else is working and I'm not doing anything."

"Don't worry about it. At least one of us should be able to relax." Yao said.

"I feel guilty though."

"It'll be fine." Yong Soo added.

"By the way, I want to shorten my hours. It's hard for me to work 5 hours and finish homework and stuff so I want to start working 3 hours after school. Is that okay?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, sure." Yao said.

"Hey Kaoru."

"Hey Lars."

"..."

"So, Yao found a job."

"You gonna stop for good now?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

"I see. It was nice doing business with ya."

"Yeah. You too."

"I'm thinking about telling Bella. About me selling and doing drugs. Tonight."

"..."

"I think she should know. It'd be bad if she found out on her own."

"You don't have to tell her yet. If you're not ready."

"I'm not. But I feel guilty, keeping this from her."

"It's okay. To have a secret or two."

Lars sighed. "You're right, but, she needs to know this. I want to tell her. Just not now, not today."

"Wait until you're ready."

"I'm afraid I'll never be ready."

"Knowing Bella, she probably won't get that upset with you."

"I hope not."

"..."

"..."

"Well, I just came to tell you that. I need to go now. Good luck."

"Thanks. I'll need it."

Yong Soo walked into his bedroom and pulled out something from his pillow. It was wrapped in a piece of paper. He slowly peeled it open and looked at the razor blade. Just then Yao came in.

"Yong Soo, what are you doing with that?" he asked, panic evident in his voice.

"Don't worry I was just going to get rid of it."

Yao breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"I'm really sorry, about what I said."

"You were right though. I was being selfish and lazy."

"That didn't give me the right to say such things about you. You're only 16. Sixteen year olds should be able to have some fun, and not worry about where our money was coming from."

"Still, I wish I realized sooner and helped out. I mean, you and Kaoru were pretty much doing all the work. And Kaoru's only 17, a year older than me."

"Well now you know. And now you're stronger and working harder, for everyone."

"I guess I've changed a bit."

"..."

"I hope I won't ever get desperate enough to cut again. It was a really stupid thing to do."

"..."

Yong Soo got up and threw the object out the window. He watched it fall until it was just a small speck on the ground.

"Who knew such a little thing could cause so much trouble and pain." He said out loud.

"Glad it's over now." Yao commented.

"Yeah. Me too."

"Hey Mei."

"Hey Eli."

"What's wrong?"

"I feel like I'll never get over what happened."

"You could talk to me."

"No offence but, that doesn't really help me."

"Mei, don't you think you need professional help?"

"...I don't feel comfortable about telling a stranger my problems."

"There's a hotline you can call. It's free and you don't meet face-to-face. You just tell them what's troubling you to whatever extent and that's it. They could also tell you if there's any place in your area that could help."

"..."

"Mei, you need professional help."

"...I don't want to seem weak."

"Admitting that you need help isn't being weak. You're never gonna get better if you keep denying it."

"..."

"There's nothing wrong with needing help."

"..."

"Please. Just one session. You can decide what will happen after that."

"..."

"..."

Mei weakly nodded her head. "Okay."

Yao nervously walked into Hetalia world cafe. It's been about a month since he last came here.

He looked around. It was still the same. Tables and chairs with the wood bent into designs and painted cherry wood red, paintings of flowers and other nature scenes set in gold framing, spring green wallpaper, and cases of international dessert lined up in two neat rows down the middle.

"Yao? What are you doing here?" Romulus asked.

"I want to speak to you and Alaric."

"I'll go get him. Wait here."

Soon, Romulus came back with Alaric behind him.

"Come on. Let's sit down." Alaric suggested.

"I want to apologize. Again. About stealing the money."

"Yao, why are you bringing this up now?"Alaric asked.

"I wanted to come by and tell you guys that I'll make it up."

"Yao, you don't have to do that." Romulus spoke up.

"But I want to. I feel really bad about what happened."

"Yao, we forgave you already. Besides we don't want you giving money to us. Use that money for your family." Alaric said.

"My family's doing fine. Kaoru's going to get a full time job soon. He's turning 18 in a few months and he chose to work instead of going to college. Yong Soo wants to become a video game designer or a comic book artist. His teachers all say he's really good. He's 16 now but they believe he could get a scholarship if he's still as good when he's a senior. And Mei's really smart and a hard worker. She's 15, maybe it's too early to tell but I'm sure she can get into a really good college. When things are settled down, I want to make it up to both of you."

"You don't have too. It wouldn't feel right taking money from you since you need it." Alaric insisted.

"But it wasn't right. I took so much from you guys."

"Yao, what's done is done. Don't worry about it." Romulus said casually.

"But I feel like I should do something. You helped me out a lot and all I did was take."

"Well, there is one thing that would make us happy." Romulus continued.

"What is it?"

"Make sure Kaoru finds the perfect job that pays well and he really enjoys. Then, make sure Yong Soo and Mei go to college and get their dream jobs, whatever they are. After that, we want you to be happy and able to say "I accomplished something." Can you do that for us, Yao?" He asked.

Yao smiled."Yes. Anything for my old friends."


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

Yao walked into Hetalia World Cafe. He came here every morning for a cup of coffee before heading to work. But today, he came here for a different reason. He checked his pocket for the umpteenth time for that little slip of paper.

"Hey Yao!" called out Romulus.

"Hello Romulus. Where's Alaric?"

"He should be in the kitchen, getting the bread. Oh, there he is."

"Oh, Yao. You're here earlier than usual. And I thought you didn't have work today." Alaric said.

"Oh, come on, Alaric, don't be so mean." Romulus joked.

"I came by to give you two this." Yao took out a slip of paper and handed it over to Alaric.

"I don't know if it's enough but-"

"Yao, we can't take this. This is $30,000. Are you crazy?"

"I took a lot of money from you guys. I told you I would pay it back one day."

"But we told you what we wanted. And you did it already." Romulus said.

"I know. And one of the things you said was that you wanted me to be happy and say "I accomplished something." So I did. This is my accomplishment and I'm happy."

"Are you sure? This is a lot of money." Alaric said.

"Yes, I'm sure. So you better spend it all or else I'll come back here and give you $30,000 in pennies."  
-

"Heyyyyyyy Kaaaooooruuuuuu!" a cheerful Bella called out.

Kaoru looked down from the telephone pole to see Bella frantically waving at him. Standing next to her was Lars, looking calm as ever. He closed the cover on the breaker box before climbing down.

"Lars. Bella."

"Hi Kaoru! It's been a while." she said happily.

"We were going to the mall when Bella spotted you." Lars explained.

"Nice to see that you two are getting along again." Kaoru commented.

"Yeah. I told her. About the drugs."

"I really couldn't get mad at him. Since I got into some trouble too."

Kaoru was curious but he said nothing.

"Well it seems that everything is fine now." Kaoru opted to say instead.

"Yep. It's all over now and I am so glad."

*beep beep*

"We need to get going, Lars, they're waiting for us." Bella said while checking her phone.

She turned and ran ahead, expecting Lars to follow. But Kaoru grabbed his arm before he could.

"Need something?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to ask you something."

"Okay, what?"

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"She said she ran into some trouble."

"Oh that. She-"

"Lars! What are you doing? Hurry up!" called out Bella.

Lars turned and said "In a second!"

He faced back to Kaoru. "Perhaps that will be a story to tell another day."  
-

Mei walked into her office and sat down at her desk. She reviewed her patient's information one last time before there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." She said with a smile.

A teenage 17 year old girl nervously walked in and sat down across from Mei.

"Eva Johansson?"

The girl quietly nodded her head.

"I'm your therapist, you can just call me Mei."

"I understand that you are nervous, but, I want you to know that anything you tell me is confidential. Everything we talk about stays between us. No one else."

"You sure? No one else. Not even my family."

"Yes."

"But what if you can't help me?"

"Then I'll find someone who can."

The girl brought her knees up to her chest and contemplated this.

"My parents don't know I'm here."

Mei nodded and urged her to continue.

"They- they've been getting drunk and abusing me."

She breathed in.

"Last week. Last week, my dad got drunk again raped me."

Tears streamed down her face.

"He said it was because I'm useless. And I deserved it. And that it was my own fault."

She couldn't say anything else. She was too choked up.

"Eva, look at me and listen. Rape is never the victim's fault. No one ever deserves it and you are not useless."

"That's what they all say."

"I know how you feel."

"Everyone says that."

Mei smiled sadly.

"Let me tell you a story. I knew a girl, she was 15 years old and she fell in love with a boy…"  
-

Yong Soo sat down on a bench in the park and breathed in deeply. It's forever since has had time to relax. Just then, a young boy with dark brown hair poking out from his baseball cap ran up to him and stared in awe.

"You're Im Yong Soo!"

"Yes I am! How can I help you?" he laughed.

"You wrote the comic series "Dreamer" right?"

"Yup."

The boy's smile widened even more.

"Can you teach me how to draw?"

"It takes a really long time to teach someone how to draw. Besides isn't it better to draw using your own style?"

"But it's not as good as yours."

"I'm sure you'll get better."

"Please?! Just this one time? Please?!"

Yong Soo laughed. "Alright, alright."

The boy sat next to Yong Soo and took out a folded piece of paper and a pencil.

"I drew this of my brother but it's not that good."

"He looks so sad in this picture. Maybe it would look better if he was smiling."

The boy's expression fell. "I've never seen him smile."

Yong Soo felt surprised and upset at the same time.

"He acts funny sometimes and gets mad at me when I ask why. A few days ago, he was pulling on his sleeves and rubbing his arms. He yelled me and pushed me away when I asked him why. He's been avoiding me ever since then."

Yong Soo felt sympathy for the little boy.

"I know why."

"Really? How? Why?"

Yong Soo let out a small sigh.

"I know someone who had the same problem."

"What was the problem?"

"I can't tell you. You should get your brother to answer."

The boy looked at him sadly.

"How do I do that?"

"I have an idea. Tell me, how does your brother look like?"

Yong Soo took the paper and pencil. He drew a quick sketch of the boys brother based on what the boy was telling him. He had the same dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. He was tall, had glasses, and always wore a serious expression.

"And done." Yong Soo said.

The boy looked at the paper and gasped. It looked like his brother but at the same time, it didn't. His brother was smiling and laughing.

"Turn around. I'm going to write a message to your brother on this paper but you can't look at it."

"Aww, why not."

"Just trust me. Okay?"

"Okay." the boy said sadly.

"Here, give this to your brother. Remember don't look at it."

The boy nodded his head and ran off.

"Here." the boy said.

"What's this?" asked his brother.

"I met someone at the park and he helped me draw you."

The teen opened up the drawing and nearly dropped it in shock.

"Are you okay?"

"Y- yeah I'm fine."

"What do you think? Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah. Thanks." his lips turned upward in a small smile.

The little boy jumped from excitement.

"You smiled! You actually smiled!"

The teen waited for him to calm down "Come on let's go somewhere. You want ice cream?"

"Yes!"

He left the picture on his bed. The picture with a life-saving message in a folded corner. It said: "You may think that this helps but it doesn't. Trust me, I know. I've took a blade to my arm before. It really doesn't solve anything. And what about your brother? What would he think? He really cares about you. How old is he? Seven? Eight? And yet all he wants is to see your smile. Stay strong. It'll be better that way. For everyone."


End file.
